Auburn Main Jail The present main jail facility, at 2775 Richardson Drive, Auburn, opened in July, 1985, at a construction cost of $4.5 million. Funding was provided by Proposition 4, the first of three jail funding measures. The California State Board of Corrections (BOC) rated the original structure for 108 inmates, a total that was exceeded immediately. Within two months of operation, the total reached 148. By 1990, the population had increased to 272 inmates, far above the BOC allowable number of 108. +more

In 1990, a Federal court order restricting our daily population to 148 gave impetus to construction of a 260-bed addition to the jail, an addition that opened in April 1992. The new housing wing was constructed at a cost of $3.5 million, with funding provided through Propositions 52 and 96. It consists of three medium security dorms, two with a capacity of 92 inmates each, and one with a capacity of 44 inmates; and one maximum-security module with a capacity of 32 inmates. The dormitory housing units are of the direct-supervision type, with a custody offer stationed inside each of the dorms, and indirect supervision from a housing booth. With BOC approval, most of our cells have been doubled-bunked.

The minimum-security barracks was housed in buildings that were originally World War II Army warehouses, built in 1941. The facility consisted of three housing units, two male and one female, with a combined capacity of 160 inmates, making the total capacity of the Auburn Main Jail 646 (this total includes six beds located in the infirmary). 05/31/2014 the Minimum Security Barracks located at the Auburn Main Jail was closed and the inmates were moved to the South Placer Jail facility.

South Placer Jail

Placer County began construction of a new jail facility in 2008 after an assessment identified additional jail capacity as a need to address future growth. The South Placer location in the Santucci Justice Center is part of a larger, multi-year planned development to meet the needs of our county residents. +more

Phase one of the jail was largely completed in 2012. The building is approximately 200,000 square feet and has a rated capacity of 420 inmates. This phase includes a main jail and minimum security complex, kitchen and laundry facility, program services space, visitor and video visitation technology, medical services unit, intake / booking unit, and support services office space. The larger infrastructure currently in place was pre-planned to meet the needs of a larger facility as growth continues, cutting the overall costs of future bed expansion. The eventual build out of the South Placer Jail facility will be a 319,000 square foot facility with capacity for 980 inmates.

In 2011, long after jail construction had begun, the California Legislature enacted Realignment legislation (AB 109, 2011). By the time the new jail was completed in 2012, population impacts of Realignment were being felt in the Auburn facility’s Average Daily Population (ADP) and resulted in many inmates being released from custody. However, economic conditions across our nation had not recovered to an extent where sustainable funding was available to open the facility. This would change in late 2013 after many budget discussions and assessments regarding realignment, public safety and the overall health of our local criminal justice processes.

During the fiscal year 2013/2014, Placer County introduced a budget to begin operating the South Placer Jail. This phased opening includes a 4-pod housing unit at the South Placer main jail and two minimum security pods, for a starting capacity of 240 inmates. A gradual, further expansion of existing bed space is planned as sustainable funding becomes available.
As part of this multi-year approach, the Auburn Minimum Security facility has been closed down. The aging, World War 2 era facility met the needs of our county from 1983 to 2014, but is no longer cost effective, or safely viable as a detention facility.
Staff for the South Placer Jail includes Correctional Officers, Deputy Sheriff’s, Support Services staff, and contracted medical and programs personnel. To off-set opening costs at the South Placer Jail, staff from the Auburn Minimum Security were transferred to the South Placer Facility when the older facility was closed.